URI

College

Program

Department

Degree Level

Date

Metadata

Abstract

The objective of this research is to provide a genetic algorithm to determine
the reorder cycle time for multi-stage serial and assembly systems. Demand for end
item is assumed to occur at a constant and continuous rate. Production is
instantaneous and no backorders are allowed. Both setup and echelon holding costs
are charged at each stage. The attention is on nested and stationary policies.
Furthermore, the reorder interval for each echelon is restricted to be not only integer,
but also a power of two times a base planning period. The performance of the genetic
algorithm is evaluated in comparison with an optimal approach proposed by Maxwell
and Muckstadt (1985), obtaining solutions from zero to five percent from the
optimum for small problems. Experimentation is conducted to determine the genetic
algorithm parameters and in addition to evaluate the robustness of the proposed
methodology.